


where the wild things are

by yongz



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Animal Transformation, Cats, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Magic, Magical Realism, Multi, Pre-Relationship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22902832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yongz/pseuds/yongz
Summary: #FT089: neighbours au where a cat constantly comes over to jeno's house to sleep on his balcony and jeno feeds the cat, thinking that it is a wandering stray. jeno later finds out his very cute neighbour jaemin is the cat's owner & he tells jaemin abt how the cat comes over often and jaemin laughs like hahaha yeah... my cat is such a rascal hahaha!!!!! one day he sees the cat walking along outside of the apartment and hes about to go up to it and say hello when the cat suddenly shifts into humanor the fic where renjun is a cat, but not really
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 12
Kudos: 327
Collections: 99' ft 00' fic fest





	where the wild things are

**Author's Note:**

> written for 99ft00 fest <3
> 
> prompter, i hope you enjoy! i really tried to do this lovely prompt justice.

It first comes when Jeno arrives home from college one day. He's just settling into his apartment, taking off his coat and shoes when—

There's a loud thumping noise coming from his bedroom. Jeno stares at his closed door. Maybe something fell. Or there's a bird pecking at his door. That's happened before. He shrugs it off and goes back to taking his homework out from his bag.

He gets approximately halfway through his calculus assignment when it happens again. And again, and until Jeno can't stand the sound of it anymore. What if it's a bird flying repeatedly into his balcony door? Then he'll have to deal with its corpse on his balcony. Jeno shudders at the thought as he pads into his bedroom. Jeno approaches the glass sliding door and pulls back the white curtains that cover it.

There's a cat on his balcony. A very pretty cat. It's gorgeous. Soft, long, white fur spilling down intermixed with lighter shades of brown around its paws and face. Its eyes are large and impossibly round. Jeno blinks. It's not what he was expecting.

Jeno slides the door open cautiously, as if the cat might jump at him. The cat merely stares at him, and tilts its head slightly.

"Hey there," Jeno says. The cat's ears twitch. It emits a soft meowing sound. Jeno crouches down so that he's basically eye level with it. He squints. There's no collar on it. _Do cats even wear collars though?_ Jeno wonders.

It looks well taken cared for though. Its fur is poofy, and looks wonderfully soft, rather than the matted mangled mess Jeno has seen on other street cats. Jeno yearns to reach out and pet it, but he doesn't know if the cat is friendly or not. "It's alright," Jeno says, in what he hopes is a calming manner. "Do—do you have an owner?"

The cat tilts its head, seemingly in a bemused fashion. Jeno slaps himself mentally. _What was I thinking?_ , Jeno groans. Cats can't talk. "I... Uh," Jeno hesitates. Why is he even talking to it? He sighs. _Think, Jeno_ , he tells himself.

The cat walks up to him. It nuzzles its head against his palm, squeezing itself to fit underneath. It _is_ soft. It's like touching a cloud. A fluffy, sleek, cloud. A stray can't be _this_ soft, right? "Wow," Jeno breathes. The cat starts to rumble underneath his hand. It's _purring_ , Jeno realizes. He strokes it a few more times before standing up.

"Do you want to come in?" Jeno says. He slides the glass door open. At that, the cat gets up and cautiously enters his apartment. It glances around his bedroom, as if it were checking for something. It then stops and turns, glancing back at Jeno as if it were saying _Are you coming?_

Jeno follows it inside and slides the balcony door shut behind them.

-

The cat waits for Jeno to move before going anywhere in the apartment. It's almost _polite_. Like how a guest would act, not going anywhere before the host does or allows them to. Jeno leads the two of them into the kitchen area.

"Are you hungry?" Jeno asks, even though he knows it can't respond. The cat leaps up onto the kitchen table in one smooth jump. It sits down, staring expectantly at Jeno. "Alright," Jeno says. He opens the fridge. He has fish. Cats like fish, right? "Fish okay?" he asks.

The cat meows. Jeno stifles a laugh. How well timed that was. "Good," he says. "Now, I'm no chef, but I think it'll be okay." He turns the knob on the stove to high. It's a basic white fish recipe. Jeno's careful not to use anything too spicy or interesting, for lack of a better word. He sticks to basic olive oil, salt, and pepper. He doesn't know what cats can and cannot eat, so he'd rather be safe than end up killing the poor thing.

He finishes it up in about fifteen minutes. "Done!" he proclaims, sliding the fish off the pan and onto a plate. Jeno twirls around as if he's some fancy chef serving a proclaimed patron. "For you, Madam," he says. Jeno presents the plate to the cat.

The cat licks it's lips, and mrrups. Jeno chuckles. "You're cute," he says. Jeno places the plate down in front of the cat.

The cat carefully drags a claw down half of the fish, neatly separating it into two. Using its paw, it draws the first half towards itself. Jeno watches it gulp down the fish. He wonders if it has an owner. Despite how well-groomed it looks, it's eating like it hasn't eaten in weeks. Jeno knows that cats are clean animals. They often groom and clean each other. Can a cat really keep itself this well kept on its own though?

Jeno groans at his lack of cat knowledge. Jeno's never owned a pet before. Maybe he should ask Mark. He thinks Mark's had a cat before.

The cat nudges his hand with its head. It meows at him, staring pointedly between Jeno and the leftover fish. "For me?" Jeno says. The cat bobs its head in an almost nod. _Does it understand me?_ Jeno wonders. Or was that a coincidence? Cats are smart, he thinks. But this cat seems awfully intelligent and almost _human_ like.

The cat meows again, more urgently. Or at least, as human like as a cat could get.

Jeno gets himself a fork and eats the remainder of the fish. It appears to please the cat. The cat emits a short low purr before it curls itself up into a ball on the table and settles down to watch him eat. "Thank you," Jeno says, because it felt like he should say it. It feels odd. The cat divided the fish in half, and then offered the rest to Jeno. Isn't that weird for a cat?

Or maybe cats are just more intelligent than Jeno knew. Jeno gets up and places the plate in the sink. "Do you have somewhere to go tonight?" Jeno asks. The cat blinks at him slowly, not getting up from where its lying on the table. "You can stay with me, I guess. On my bed."

The cat hacks a cough. It blinks twice more, before standing and stretching. It's paws spread as its back dips down. The cat ruffles itself, and then hops off the table. It stares up at Jeno. _Lead the way_ , it seems to say.

"Okay," Jeno answers, even though the cat said nothing.

-

"Be my guest," Jeno says, gesturing at his bed. He moves towards the balcony door to latch it. Sometimes the breeze blows it open if he doesn't, and then Jeno gets cold. That makes it even harder for him to get up.

The cat remains on the floor, blinking owlishly up at him. It's waiting for him, Jeno thinks. So, Jeno climbs into bed. The cat hops up onto the bed after him. It hesitates after it lands. The cat places a tentative paw on the comforter. It stares down the bed, blinking.

"What's wrong?" Jeno asks. The cat doesn't move. It looks up at Jeno. It tilts its head, its right ear twitching once. _Is this okay?_ its eyes seem to implore. "It's okay," Jeno reassures, for some reason. Even though he's pretty much talking to himself. It's not like the cat can really reply to him.

The cat purrs happily, and then settles down on the bed. "Goodnight," Jeno says, turning off the lamp. The cat meows back at him.

Lying down, Jeno can feel the presence of the cat by his feet. Its weight causes a slight dip in the bed. Jeno can feel the side of its body by his left leg. It's warm. The cat shifts, rolling over on top of his foot. _Cute_ , Jeno thinks. He's thinking of ways not to fling it off the bed as he rolls over when he drifts off.

-

When Jeno wakes up, the cat is gone. Jeno's a little disappointed. He enjoyed having a cat, for a night, he supposes. The balcony door is open. The cat must've pushed it open and left through there. _Strange,_ Jeno thinks. He could've sworn he had latched the balcony door last night. He shrugs it off though. He must've forgotten to. Jeno hopes that the cat is okay though.

-

Jeno doesn't really think on the cat anymore. Sure, he'll admit he's a little confused. What cat would want to go back onto the streets when Jeno has a perfectly warm bed and good food? Soon, it'll be nothing more than a funny story to tell his coworkers when it strikes his mind.

Or, so he thinks. Because when Jeno returns to his apartment that night, it happens again.

First, the tapping noise. Jeno almost resolves to ignore it before he lets his curiosity get the better of him. It couldn't really be the same cat, right?

But to his surprise, it _was_ the same cat. Jeno grins, happy that he's not let down. Wait, let down? Why would he be disappointed if it wasn't the same cat? _It's just a cat_ , he shakes himself.

"You again," Jeno says, bemused. The cat meows happily in response. Jeno steps slightly aside, allowing the cat to slide inside. He shuts the sliding door behind them.

"Would you like some water? I don't have any more fish, sorry," Jeno says. The cat stares up at him and blinks lazily. Jeno sighs. Right, he's talking to a cat. Who can't talk back. He absentmindedly rubs at his neck. _What now?_

"Well," Jeno says. "I just gotta finish up some work stuff and then we can go to bed I guess." The cat's tail swishes. Jeno walks back over to the dining table and resumes filling out the paperwork he had started. The cat trots after him, leaping smoothly onto the table with him. It peers down at his papers, as if it could read them. Jeno smiles affectionately and gives it a scratch on the head.

Eventually, the cat settles down beside Jeno's arm. Jeno watches as its eyes flutter closed every few seconds. _Cute,_ Jeno thinks. Jeno wishes he could keep him. But he doesn't want to force the cat to stay, as it had obviously left of its own volition last night. _Maybe out of distrust?_ Jeno wonders. Strays tend not to be trustful. But the cat seems to trust him a lot if it's willing to share his bed with him...

Jeno shakes the thoughts away. No good in overthinking things. It's just a cat, after all. It's thought processes can't be _that_ complicated. Jeno neatens up the papers and stands. _Now, what to do with you_ , Jeno thinks.

He carefully lifts the cat in his arms as not to disturb it. Jeno tries not to jostle it too much as he walks over to his room but he obviously fails, as not a moment later the cat's eyes blearily blink open.

"Sorry," Jeno whispers. The cat doesn't reply, obviously. Jeno thinks it snuggles into his arms more, but he can't be sure.

Jeno places the cat on his bed while he goes to change and wash up. _What a strange cat,_ Jeno muses. _A strange cat for a strange person,_ he supposes. Only fitting.

When he returns, the cat is fast asleep already.

-

Everything starts to change the third time Jeno sees the cat. This time, it's not actually at his apartment, but rather in the hallway outside. Jeno's just coming back from work when he spots a blur of movement on the ground.

It's the cat. It must not see Jeno, as it walks up to the door across from Jeno and scratches it gently with its paw. A moment later, the door cracks open and the cat is let inside.

 _Oh_ , Jeno realizes. The cat isn't a stray. It belongs to his neighbor across the hall.

Jeno is half relieved, half sad that this means he'll now have to inform his neighbor about where his cat is when he's at Jeno's place.

-

Sure enough, that night, there's that tapping sound on the window. Jeno rolls out of bed and opens the balcony door. And there is the cat, sitting on the balcony. The moonlight reflects off its fur nicely, making it look impossibly pretty, for a cat. Sometimes cats are prettier than humans, Jeno supposes.

"You," Jeno says. He feels slightly bad for referring to him as 'you' all the time, but there's no collar and Jeno's not going to call him "cat." "You belong to 3A." Jeno's never met that neighbor. He knows 3B, diagonally across from him. That's Mark. And he knows 3D vaguely, but not very well.

But 3A? Jeno knows nothing about who lives there. He's never even seen them around. They are new, having moved in a few months ago. But he doesn't know anything about them, not how old they are, if they're nice, or even what gender.

Except he knows now that they apparently own a cat. A cat, who likes to break into Jeno's apartment and eat up all his fish.

Said cat stares at up him, flicking its tail back and forth expectantly. Jeno sighs. "Come in," he says, stepping away from the door. The cat prances inside, like he wouldn't have expected any different. Jeno shuts the balcony door behind them.

"I have to go get your owner now," Jeno murmurs, as the cat pounces up into his lap. It curls up, lying down and starting to purr. The soft rumbles vibrate against Jeno's lap. Jeno strokes a hand over its fur. It's so _soft_. "Maybe in five minutes," he says, thinking out loud. _Five minutes_ , he says. It wouldn't hurt. Jeno's not going hurt the cat, and the cat probably enjoys Jeno petting it, if its purring his anything to go by.

Jeno just hopes its owner isn't worried about it or anything.

-

Jeno knocks on 3A's door half an hour later.

It's a boy, about Jeno's age. He has soft fluffy brown hair that oddly reminds Jeno of the cat's fluffy fur. _A very pretty cat for a very pretty human_ , Jeno muses. The boy stares at him, and tilts his head.

"Hi, um, I'm your neighbor across the hall. 3C," Jeno chuckles awkwardly. "Jeno, I'm Jeno."

3A smiles. "I'm Jaemin," he says. "Is this about last night? If so, I'm sorry that—"

"No! Not at all," Jeno rushes, even though he has no idea what he's referring to. "Your cat," Jeno sputters, remembering the reason he's here. He jerks a thumb back in the direction of where his door is located. "It's in my apartment."

Jaemin bursts out into laughter. Jeno stares at him, wondering what's so funny. “Sorry,” he says waving a hand. “My cat, you were saying?”

Jeno raises an eyebrow. “Yes?” Jeno was pretty sure it was a cat. White fur. Very soft. Was quite fond of fish. "It's in my apartment, if you want to come get it." Jeno thought he would've been worried about where his cat's been getting off to so often, but it seems he finds the whole situation rather amusing.

"He," Jaemin corrects. "My—my _cat_ is a he," Jaemin says, stumbling oddly over the word 'cat.'

"Sorry," Jeno says. "He's in my apartment."

"Well, let's go pick up the rascal, shall we?" Jaemin grins widely and steps outside his apartment.

"He comes here often," Jeno says, opening the door. "I thought he was a stray at first. So I've been feeding him."

"Yeah?" Jaemin says, looking around his apartment. He peers into the kitchen. "Nice place," he comments.

"Thanks," Jeno mumbles, rubbing his neck.

As if on cue, Jeno spots the cat slinking out from Jeno's bedroom. The cat hops onto the couch, and stares up at them, head tilted.

"Do you feed him enough?" Jeno blurts out, because he had to ask. The cat's so skinny, and he always downs whatever food Jeno gives it like he's been starving. Granted, Jeno's been feeding it home cooked fish. Maybe he's spoiling it a bit, but hey, he's an animal lover.

Jaemin blinks owlishly, like he wasn't quite expecting Jeno to ask that. "I'm sorry," Jeno rushes. "He's just always so hungry when he comes here."

Jaemin laughs and waves him off. "Do _I_ feed him enough," he says, humming. "I think I do. But Junnie's resourceful though, right?" Jaemin looks to the cat. The cat stares back at Jaemin, impassive. His tail flicks.

“I'm sorry about all this” Jaemin chuckles. “Injun’s quite a handful.” Jaemin scoops up 'Injun' into his arms, squishing him against his face. "Aren't you, Junnie?" Jaemin coos. The cat hisses, and tries to swipe at Jaemin but he manages to hold him away his face at the last second. Jaemin tuts. "That wasn't very nice," he says, pouting. "Thanks for letting me know," Jaemin says, turning back to Jeno. He's bouncing Injun in his arms like one would with a baby. The cat glares at Jeno. Why is it angry at _him_?

"No problem?" Jeno says.

After Jaemin leaves, Jeno is left with two things on his mind. The first is how strikingly _attractive_ Jaemin is. The second was what kind of person would name their cat Injun.

-

The next day, there's a knock on his door. It's Jaemin, to Jeno's surprise.

"Jaemin," Jeno says, more shocked than anything else.

"Hi," Jaemin says. He tilts his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"No, it's fine," Jeno says. "I was just surprised. Did you need something?" Jeno wonders if Jaemin's cat was missing. Should he check his balcony?

Jaemin shrugs. "I just wanted to hang out," he says. "Is that okay?" Jaemin shifts, and Jeno gets the sense he said something wrong.

"No, wait—I mean, yes. It's not a problem," Jeno stutters, much to Jaemin's amusement. Jaemin smiles, his eyes crinkling gently.

"Great!" he says, and strides inside his apartment. Jaemin drapes himself onto Jeno's couch like he owns the place. "So," he says. "What TV shows do you like to watch Jeno?"

-

Jaemin starts coming over to Jeno's more frequently. And since he's been coming over, the cat's, or Injun's, visits have stopped. Jeno can't really say he's unhappy with Jaemin's newfound accompaniment, but he misses his cat as well. Jeno had grown rather attached to the fluffy thing. He didn't want to bring it up though because, well, wasn't it a bit weird that Jeno also wanted to hang out with Jaemin's cat? He's sure that if he asked Jaemin he'd have no issue with it, but Jaemin probably didn't want Injun sneaking into Jeno's apartment anymore. By the lack of nighttime visits, Jaemin probably scolded the poor cat.

Except, then Injun turned up while Jaemin was also there.

They were finishing up the latest season of the TV show they had started when there's a tapping sound from inside his bedroom. Jeno freezes. He spares a quick glance to Jaemin. He can't tell if Jaemin heard it or not.

"I'm going to use the bathroom," Jeno lies, and stands up. He heads into the bedroom. He can already see the cat's white fur shining through the glass sliding door to his balcony. He slides open the door, trying to be quiet. "Your owner is here," he whispers. Injun blinks, before coming inside anyways. _Great_ , Jeno thinks.

No use in pretending now. Jeno reenters the main area with Injun trailing behind him.

"Jaemin," he starts. Jaemin turns around, and is about to say something when he spots Injun.

"Oh," Jaemin says. "Junnie," he says flatly. Injun stares back at Jeno. And if Jeno didn't know better, he would say they were almost having some sort of telepathic argument. But that's stupid, because Injun is just a cat, and telepathy isn't real.

Jeno coughs. "Do you want to—"

"It's okay," Jaemin says. "He can stay." Jeno walks back over to the couch and sits down beside Jaemin. Jaemin pats the couch on the other side of him. Injun shoots a quick glare at Jaemin before hopping up as well. He clambers over Jaemin's lap where he settles on top of Jeno.

"He likes you," Jaemin observes.

"Y-yeah," Jeno says, flushing. He runs a hand over Injun's fur. Soft rumbles emit from him. Jeno sighs.

Jaemin falls asleep on Jeno's shoulder almost 3/4s through the movie. Jeno shifts, unsure what to do with the sleeping cat on his lap and the sleeping Jaemin leaning on his side. It's late, and Jeno is tired too. Jeno closes his eyes and lets himself drift.

-

When he wakes up, both Jaemin and Injun are gone. There's a sticky note on his forehead.

_Thanks for the movie night~ <3_

_-Jaemin_

There's a quick doodle of an angry cat underneath Jaemin's name. Jeno grins at the note and clutches it to his chest.

-

Then, Jeno happens to spot Injun coming home one day in the hallway.

Jeno was coming back from grocery shopping, thinking about getting to eat his chocolate cereal he just bought while watching his favorite show when it happened. He finished climbing the stairs and was just peaking over the top of the last step when he spotted Injun.

He's just... sitting in the hallway. Right in front of Jeno, really, barely a few feet from the top of the staircase. His tail is swishing gently back and forth. Jeno decides he'll go up to it and give him a pet before he enters his apartment. And maybe knock on Jaemin's door to tell him to let his poor cat in.

Jeno reaches the hallway floor and takes about two steps when the cat starts running. Jeno halts, confused. Where could he be going?

Jeno finds out two seconds later, when in one small stride it leaps and _expands_. His long white fur smoothens itself until it's skin. Where there were once small and stubby cat legs, there are now long limbs. Long, _human_ limbs. Clothes seemingly seep out from his skin, appearing from nowhere. All this occurs in the blink of an eye.

And then there's a boy standing in the hallway. A boy. A very pretty boy, but a very human boy. A human. The cat. Is a human. The cat just turned into a freaking human. A human who is currently trying to find keys in his pockets to unlock the door to Jaemin's apartment. _At least he's not naked,_ Jeno thinks.

"Injun?" Jeno squeaks. 'Injun' turns, spinning around confusedly until he zeros in on Jeno's frozen form down the hallway. Injun has the decency to look sheepish.

"Ah," Injun says. "Hi Jeno?" he tries, giving him a small wave.

"Who—what? I—" Jeno scrambles for something coherent to say, but comes up short. His brain feels like it went through a blender and was scrambled into a platter. He just watched his adorable neighbor's _cat_ , turn into a _human_. Cat. Into human. That shouldn't be possible. Right?

"My name's Renjun, actually, by the way," Injun, no, Renjun says. "It's nice to meet you properly." Renjun shifts, glancing somewhere past Jeno. Probably to make sure nobody else is about to intrude on them. "How about we go inside, yeah?" Renjun says, as he unlocks the door to Jaemin's apartment. Jeno wonders where his keys are kept when he's a cat. Jesus. He's really got himself into something this time.

"Sure," Jeno says, for a lack of a better idea. He's still carrying his groceries. At least he doesn't have anything that'll melt. He gently places them down by the door.

He's never actually been inside Jaemin's apartment before, despite Jaemin coming over to his multiple times. It's homey. There's several soft looking blankets thrown over the couch, and an inordinate number of plants lining the windows. Jeno can smell something cooking.

He takes a peek into the kitchen area. There's nobody in there. He'd have thought Jaemin would be there, but no, he guesses nothing in this house is as it seems. There's a pan on the stove moving by itself, seemingly self-sautéing a filet of white fish. Beside it a knife hovers in the air as it dices onions, which then float over and into the pan. "Woah," Jeno says, still staring at the self-cooking kitchen.

Renjun walks over to where he's standing, chuckling. "Yeah, impressive, huh?" he says. "Jaemin got annoyed at Jisung always asking him to cook for him so he made this. Now all you have to do is ask it to make something for you."

Jeno turns to look at Renjun. _He's pretty_ , Jeno realizes. The same way he was pretty as a cat, he's pretty as a human. Jeno flushes, realizing how close they are. "R-really?" he says, glancing away and back at the kitchen.

Renjun hums. "Mhm, but you have to ask nicely, or else it'll get mad," he says.

"Mad?" Jeno's mind conjures up images of the kitchen knife trying to slice you up into bits for being rude. He shudders.

"The knives aren't what you need to worry about though," Renjun says. "The spatulas are lethal." Jeno gulps. "Not to worry though. Jaemin can always fix whatever happens. He's a pretty talented healer." Jeno stares at him. _Did he just read my mind?_ he thinks.

"Yeah," Renjun answers, apologetically. "Sorry, your thoughts are kind of loud."

"What," Jeno gapes. "You can read minds?" _Fuck_ , he thinks. _Don't think about Renjun, don't think about—_

Renjun shrugs, either choosing to ignore Jeno's internal mantra or blocking it out. "Among other things," he says. "Let's sit. We have some things to talk about."

 _Yeah,_ Jeno thinks. _Like how I believed you were a cat._

"Yes," Renjun says. "That."

-

Jeno's sitting on the navy couch, holding a perfectly warm cup of tea and faced with an impossibly ethereal looking boy. A boy, who made the cup of tea with magic and can read his mind. Oh, and was a cat who was practically living in Jeno's apartment for a few weeks.

"So," Jeno starts. "A cat," he says flatly.

"My preferred form of animal," Renjun says. "It's agile, and blends in well in a city. Dogs are nice too, but not as small, and people are more likely to call the pound on a lone dog than a cat."

"I... I see," Jeno says. He doesn't really. But the cup of tea is nice and warm, and Renjun is really attractive. Wait, shit. He shouldn't think of that. Is Renjun reading his thoughts now? _How embarrassing_ , Jeno thinks. God, he hopes he isn't blushing or anything.

Renjun tilts his head. It reminds Jeno of how Renjun did that all the time as a cat. He can practically _see_ his cat ears on his head twitching now. The corner of Renjun's mouth crooks up into an almost smile.

Wait. _Preferred choice_ , Renjun had said. That must mean...

"Can you become other animals?" Jeno asks.

Renjun nods. "My magic is categorized as wild magic," he says. "Meaning, I work best with animal or plant related things or... Just generally nature stuff."

"What about Jaemin?"

"His is what’s called 'house magic' technically, but he hates the term. It’s more related to technology and such. He’s good at animating objects, as you can see from our kitchen."

"Does everyone have magic?" Jeno asks. He wonders if he could learn. It'd be cool to do stuff like this.

"Everyone has a little, whether they know it or not," Renjun says. "Luck is a form of magic. It's an innate, natural magic."

"Really?" Jeno thinks back on what his luck's been like. He can't recall any extreme in one way or the other.

Renjun nods. He eyes him. "Are you wondering if you have magic?"

Jeno flushes. "Um," he says. "Maybe?"

Renjun chuckles. "No need to be embarrassed," he says. "May I?" Jeno frowns. _May he what?_

"Sure?" Jeno says.

Renjun leans in close and presses his face right into the crook of Jeno's neck. Jeno almost jumps back, but stops himself. Renjun technically did ask permission before, Jeno just had no idea what he was asking about. Renjun takes a long inhale. Jeno can feel his face heating up once again.

"Sorry," Renjun says, stepping away. "As a wild magic user, my magic is closely tied to my senses. It's easier to sense magic if I well..." Renjun trails off. "You get the idea," he finishes.

"Yeah," Jeno says dumbly.

"You don't have much magic," Renjun continues. "I'm sorry."

Jeno waves a hand. "It's fine." He didn't expect much anyways. He's perfectly happy leaving the magic stuff to Renjun. And Jaemin, he supposes.

There's a lull, neither of them quite knowing what to say to each other. Renjun seems like he wants to say something more, but Jeno has no idea what it could be.

"How do you two know each other?" Jeno asks, trying to ease the awkward silence.

"Me and Jaemin?" Renjun says. "We met at what was basically a magic school."

"Wow," Jeno says, thinking back on when he first read _Harry_ _Potter_. He wonders if it's anything like that. "And you two are...?"

"We're dating," Renjun says definitively. "That's not an issue, is it?" The look he gives Jeno is almost challenging, as if he dared him to say a word against them.

"No! Of course not. I'm also gay myself," Jeno rushes.

Renjun beams. "Great. Sorry about that. Magic community's not always the most accepting sometimes so..."

"Oh," Jeno says. "I'm sorry." Renjun presses his lips together, no doubt thinking back on some bad memory, but doesn't say anything in response. Jeno almost starts to come up with some lame excuse to go scurry back to his apartment before he remembers the crux of why he came here.

"Why did you come to my apartment?" Jeno blurts.

"Right, that." Renjun flushes red. He reaches up to rub at the back of his neck. “I—well, um—”

“He thought you were cute,” Jaemin's voice rings. Jaemin himself appears a few moments later, materializing seemingly from nowhere. Jaemin smirks. He drapes himself across the couch and onto Renjun's lap. "So, he decided it was easier to approach you as a cat instead of a human like a _normal_ person."

“Shut _up_ ," Renjun groans. "Not my best idea, okay?" Renjun flops back dramatically onto the couch, bringing his hands up to cover his face as he groans.

Jeno feels his face burn. _Renjun thinks he's cute?_ Jeno's mind screams. _Oh shit, wait Renjun can hear—_

"But you thought he was cute too," Renjun points out, shoving Jaemin off his lap. Jaemin flails and falls onto the ground with a thump.

"Y-you both think _I'm_ cute?" Jeno stutters. He points at himself. " _Me_? Cute?" he says, voice growing higher and higher in pitch. Renjun giggles.

"Maybe," Jaemin mutters, suddenly awfully quiet.

"But aren't you two..." Jeno trails off, looking between the two of them. He gestures vaguely, unsure of how to phrase it.

"We're..." Jaemin glances to Renjun. "Open," he says. Jaemin stands and sits beside Jeno. "Is it—

Are you okay with that?" Jaemin asks, staring at Jeno with such fondness for somebody who barely knows him.

"I—" Jeno glances between the two of them. Jeno's been in relationships before. He knows how they work, hopefully. But he's never tried something like this. What if it doesn't work out? What if it's _Jeno_ that can't make it work? What if he hurts the two of them, or come between them in a way that hurts one of them? That's the last thing he would want. They're placing a lot of trust in _him_ , by allowing him into their hearts.

But Renjun and Jaemin are looking at him with such pure _hope_ and honesty in their faces, how could Jeno ever say no?

So, yes Jeno has never done anything like this before, and it's a bit scary and confusing. But is he more than willing to try it for Renjun and Jaemin? Of course.

"Thank you," Renjun whispers, startling Jeno. _Fuck. The thoughts_ , Jeno realizes. Renjun's face sours. "Sorry," he says, looking down. "I'm trying to work on it."  
"No, it's fine," Jeno rushes to reassure. "I was ju—"

"Care to share with the class?" Jaemin says.

"We're going to try this," Renjun says, excitement tangible in his voice. "Us," he says. "All of us."

"Really?" Jaemin lights up. He turns to Jeno. "You—It's okay with you?"

Jeno nods. "If you guys don't mind?"

Jaemin breaks out into a wide grin. "I wouldn't offer if I did," he says.

-

Renjun and Jaemin invite him out to dinner the upcoming weekend. Jeno's excited, to say the least. He briefly got to know Renjun as a human the day he discovered him, but now he'll get a chance to get to know him better.

It's just at their apartment, nothing fancy. Jaemin's going to be cooking. Actually cooking, not the kitchen cooking for them, Renjun had promised.

It's Jaemin who answers the door. "Jeno!" he says happily, and pulls him into a hug. "You look pretty," he says.

Jeno flushes. "Thanks," he says. He doesn't even need to look at Jaemin to know that he does too. "You do too," he says. Jaemin beams, and Jeno thinks he looks radiant. The apartments more dimly lit, with soft warm light covering the room. Maybe some type of magic? Jeno doesn't see any candles anywhere.

Renjun snorts. "You're so sappy," he says, but presses a kiss to both Jaemin and Jeno's cheeks. Jaemin smirks, while Jeno blushes furiously. "Let's eat," he says.

Renjun leads them to a white table clothed table. The silverware is pristine and laid out perfectly straight and even, like one would see in a restaurant.

"Do you like it?" Jaemin asks, bouncing on his feet behind his chair.

"Yeah," Jeno says. He strokes a finger around the edge of the gold-rimmed plate. It's a gorgeous set up. He can only imagine what the food is like.

"Oh!" Renjun says, sitting down. "I think I won our bet, Jaem." Renjun positively _grins_ , in a sort of almost dangerous but attractive way.

"What bet?" Jeno says.

"We had um, a running bet," Jaemin admits. "To see who could talk to you first." Jeno laughs. "Junnie, I don't think that counts. You were a cat."

"At least _I_ actually approached him," Renjun grins. Jaemin pulls a face at Renjun, before sulking back in his chair.

"Meanie," Jaemin says, pouting. "I was working on it." Jeno stifles a laugh. Jaemin turns to him, and whines. "Jenoooo, tell Renjun that I would've won."

He reaches over to pat Jaemin's head sympathetically. "I'm sure you would've gotten there," he says.

Jeno goes home a little tipsy, both on the elation of getting to _be_ with Renjun and Jaemin, but also due to some wine that they had which Jeno was almost 99% certain was infused with some sort of magic because no wine should be _that_ good.

-

Jaemin is waiting outside of Jeno's apartment one day when he gets home.

"Jeno!" Jaemin exclaims. He rushes over to him. "I've got something for you." He grabs Jeno's arm before he can manage out one word and drags him inside his apartment.

Jaemin reaches into one of the kitchen cabinets and drags out something heavy. Jeno can hear it scraping against the floor as it moves. Jaemin heaves it up, and slams it onto the countertop.

It's a teapot. The yellow paint is a little chipped. Jaemin beams at him.

Jeno stares at the teapot. "Thanks?" he says. He already has a teapot, but it is a little old. Jeno runs his hand over the handle. It's nice quality.

Jaemin scowls at his lack of reaction. "This isn't just any teapot," he says, pointing at it. "This is a self-heating, self-cooking, self-cleaning, never breaking, teapot. It'll make perfect tea. Or ramen. Or whatever you need it for."

"Oh wow," Jeno stares at it.

"Yep," Jaemin grins, puffing out his chest. "Custom spellwork, just for you." He throws him a cheesy wink.

Jeno feels his face heat. "T-thank you," he stammers. "How do I use it?"

"Just ask it to make whatever you want," Jaemin says. "Within the liquid capacity, I mean. It can probably make its own soup but that's a bit of a stretch."

"Ask it?" Jeno says.

Jaemin nods. He clears his throat. "Can you make me some chamomile tea?" he says, staring at the teapot.

The teapot whistles in response, blowing steam out of its spout. Jeno places a hand on its surface. He can feel it beginning to heat up.

"Oh, and you have to specify the type or else you'll just get hot water," Jaemin slides the teapot towards Jeno. Jeno tests its weight. It _is_ heavy. Jeno grunts as he lifts it, but he manages.  
"Thanks," he heaves. Jaemin waves at him as the door opens itself for Jeno.

Jeno's in his own apartment by the time he hears Renjun shriek.

"You gave Jeno our teapot?!" comes Renjun's muffled voice through the hallway walls.

Jeno stares at the yellow teapot on his stove and suppresses a smile.

-

The next day, it's Renjun.

He knocks on his door, as a human, actually. Jeno opens it, and Renjun all but shoves a brown wrapped parcel into his face.

"For you," he says, and then stomps back across the hall. He tried to hide it with his quick exit, but Jeno can tell from the flush on his ears that he's embarrassed. Renjun's being _shy_. How cute.

Jeno unwraps the parcel in his kitchen.

It's... A whole, dead, fish. Renjun brought him a _fish_. Jeno resists the urge to laugh as his lifts the fish. It's pristine; rows of perfect scales sparkling in the kitchen lights.

Either Renjun gave it to him because of all the fish Jeno fed him... Or because cats bring dead animals as gifts and Renjun shares the instinct? It makes Jeno wonder if he had other cat-like features as a human. Jeno makes a mental note to test it out later.

Of course, it could be nothing but a coincidence. This fish is clearly not something Renjun just fished out of any old pond. Jeno has no doubts it's not inexpensive. That doesn't stop the niggling feeling that this resembles cats dumping "prey" on their family's door.

-

It turns out Jeno wasn't really wrong. Maybe it also had something to do with their magic types, as Jaemin keeps giving him fancy magical household appliances that Jeno's not sure he'll ever find use for. And Renjun _literally_ leaves dead animals on his doorstop. Jeno almost steps on a parcel of venison one morning.

It's when Jeno gets an idea.

Preparation isn't easy, not with always at least _one_ of them hang around Jeno at all times. So if Jeno wants this to be a surprise he'll have to get better at lying.

Jaemin almost catches him once. "Where are you going?" he asks, from where he's sitting on Jeno's couch.

"Just to get some groceries," he says. "You can stay here."

"I can accompany you," Jaemin says, starting to stand.

"That's not necessary!" Jeno shouts, maybe with a little too much force. Jaemin withers, sitting back down and promptly looking like a kicked puppy.

"Oh," he says. He rubs his fingers together, looking at a loss for words. "Have fun?" he says.

Jeno almost caves, but he nods and rushes out before he can do any more damage. Hopefully Jaemin doesn't hate him now.

-

Jeno finally gets to reveal it the next time they invite him to their apartment. He's nervous. The palms of his hands are unbelievably sweaty. Jeno hopes neither of them try to hold his hand.

Jaemin and Renjun of course pick up on this. They sense something is off. "Are you okay?" Jaemin asks.

Jeno nods, a little frantic. "I'm great!" he says. "I just—" he coughs. "I have something for you."

Renjun perks up. "Oh?"

"It's—it's in your guest room," he says. Jaemin tilts his head, like he's wondering how Jeno snuck in a surprise there without them noticing.

"Ok," Jaemin says, and they walk over to the guest room. The door is closed. under the door he can see the soft blue glow. _Good_ , he thinks. Everything is working. Jeno fidgets with his hands. It's now or never. He places his hand on the door knob, and slowly swings it open.

"I—uh. I can't do magic or anything extraordinary like the two of you, but I wanted to do something nice for you," he says sheepishly. "Especially after all the nice gifts you got me."

Jaemin and Renjun stare at the room, matching wide-eyed expressions.

"This is the closest to magic I could get," he says.

He had painstakingly painted the walls and ceiling a blur of pinks, blues, and purples to look like a galactic sky. White dots litter the ceiling, mimicking stars. On the walls he painted some outlines of mountains and clouds. In the center of the room on the bed he had set a holographic projector he "borrowed" from a friend. It projects small glowing orbs, almost like there were real stars floating in the middle of the room.

Jaemin looks like he's about to cry. "You're—you're very sweet," he murmurs, and leans his head into the crook of Jeno's neck.

"It's beautiful," Renjun says.

"How—how did you do this?" Jaemin asks.

Jeno smothers a smile. "It was very hard," he admits. "But you're very generous with your apartment keys."

Renjun frowns. "What—"

"I might'veee stolen one of your keys," he says. Jeno rubs the back of his neck. It's technically breaking and entering, and also theft. "I hope you don't mind?"

Jaemin bursts out laughing. "Only you," he says fondly. Jaemin sighs and stares at the ceiling. "I love it," he says, walking further into the room. He reaches out to touch at the projection, but his fingers pass through it.

"You could always make it real," Renjun suggests.

Jaemin shakes his head, to Jeno's surprise. "No," he says. "Jeno went to all this effort. I don't want to disrespect his work like that."

Jeno almost feels himself melt. He walks over to where Jaemin's sat on the bed. "You want to know something?" he says, pressing his mouth close to Jaemin's ear. Jaemin shudders underneath him. "You're also very sweet."

Renjun makes a fake gagging sound. He flops down onto the bed, laying directly on Jeno's lap.

Jeno combs his hands through Renjun's hair. He starts to gently rub his head, like he would if Renjun were still in his cat form. "Okay?" Jeno asks. Renjun hums.

Or at least, that's what Jeno thought he was doing. The humming deepens in pitch, until it's a low, vibrating rumble in Renjun's chest.

He's _purring_ , Jeno realizes. He stifles a laugh. Renjun's eyes have drifted closed, and he looks so content. Jeno doesn't want to disturb him by bursting out laughing. Jeno smiles fondly. Renjun looks so cute like this. He doesn't even seem aware that he's purring.

Beside him, Jaemin sighs contentedly. "If Jaemin were an animal," Jeno says. "What would he be?"

"A bunny," Renjun answers.

"What about me?" Jeno asks.

Renjun pauses. "A dog, I think," he says.

"Oh! We're all domestic animals," Jaemin pipes up.

"Is there a reason for that?" Jeno asks, genuinely curious.

Renjun snorts. "I wasn't aware you wanted to be a wild animal." He eyes the two of them. "It'll be a hundred each if you want me to read you both again."

"Hey!" Jaemin protests. "Don't we get a discount?"

"Two hundred," Renjun says dryly.

"I hate you both," Jeno groans. Renjun and Jaemin just laugh, both knowing he doesn't really mean it, but rather the opposite.

fin.

**Author's Note:**

> this is like, the fluffiest thing i've written sgkhdf i hope it came out well.
> 
> if you liked it pls leave a kudo/comment, ty!


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